What is the Kelmendi Foundation?

The Kelmendi Foundation is an independent, non-profit, public-benefit and endowment institution founded in Kosovo to create lasting public benefit across Kosovo, the Western Balkans, Europe and beyond.

Where does the Kelmendi Foundation operate?

The Foundation is headquartered in Prishtinë, Kosovo, and expands in four disciplined phases: Kosovo as its home base, the Western Balkans, a European and diaspora network, and selective global initiatives.

What are the Foundation’s core values?

The Foundation is guided by ten core values: Human Dignity, Integrity, Stewardship, Compassion, Independence, Excellence, Inclusion, Collaboration, Innovation, and Responsibility to Future Generations.

About Us — Kelmendi Foundation

Who we are

A philanthropic platform, built to endure.

Kelmendi Foundation is an independent, non-profit, public-benefit philanthropic institution established by the Kelmendi Family together with Kelmendi Holdings Ltd. to create lasting, measurable and inter-generational positive impact for society.

Headquartered in Kosovo, it begins locally and across the Western Balkans, with the deliberate ambition to grow into a philanthropic institution of European and, ultimately, global reach. It is conceived not as a conventional charity but as a permanent institutional platform that mobilizes financial resources, expertise, innovation and partnerships to address structural societal challenges.

At a glance

Legal form

Independent, non-profit, public-benefit philanthropic foundation

Founders

Kelmendi Family · Kelmendi Holdings Ltd.

Headquarters

Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo

Geographic focus

Kosovo & the Western Balkans, expanding across Europe and worldwide in phases

Strategic pillars

Eleven pillars, with broader themes beneath them (two-tier model)

Time horizon

Perpetual — a permanent endowment institution

Governance

Founder Council · Board of Trustees · Executive Management · committees & advisory councils

Reporting

Annual audited financial statements (EUR), impact, governance, grant & investment reports

Vision

A world in which every person can live with dignity and access education, healthcare, economic opportunity, safety and a sustainable environment — enabling communities and institutions to thrive across generations.

Mission

To mobilise and steward philanthropic capital, knowledge, partnerships and innovation to improve lives, strengthen communities, expand opportunity, advance science and health, protect the environment and build institutions capable of creating lasting public benefit.

Geographic Scope

Rooted in Kosovo. Reaching outward.

Founded in Kosovo and headquartered in Prishtinë, the Foundation expands in four disciplined phases — each opened only after defined governance, funding and programme-performance gates are met.

World map highlighting the Kelmendi Foundation’s four-phase geography of impact — from Kosovo across the Western Balkans, Europe and selective global initiatives — Kosovo · Western Balkans · Europe — the Foundation’s geography of impact

Phase I

Home base

Kosovo

Legal readiness, professional management, audited controls and at least three credible programmes.

Phase II

Regional replication

Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro & Bosnia and Herzegovina

A proven programme model, local due diligence, partner capacity, country-risk assessment and dedicated funding.

Phase III

European & diaspora network

EU partner countries & Albanian diaspora

Cross-border legal structure, tax-efficient giving channels, recognised partners and sufficient management capacity.

Phase IV

Selective global initiatives

Selected international programmes

Board-approved country strategy, safeguarding and sanctions controls, implementer capability and ring-fenced finance.

Indicative early-stage allocation65–75% Kosovo · 20–30% Western Balkans · 5–10% selective international & emergency — subject to annual need and Board approval.

Core values

Ten values that define our character.

The Foundation’s conduct and decision-making are guided by ten core values that together define its institutional character and protect its independence.

Human Dignity

Beneficiaries are treated as rights-holders and partners, not instruments of publicity.

Integrity

Truthful communications, documented decisions and zero tolerance for bribery, fraud and concealed conflicts.

Stewardship

Resources are managed prudently for current and future beneficiaries.

Compassion

The Foundation responds decisively to suffering while maintaining professional controls.

Independence

Decisions are protected from improper commercial, political, family or donor influence.

Excellence

Programmes are designed, implemented and evaluated against credible standards.

Inclusion

Access is non-discriminatory and priority is given to vulnerable and underserved groups.

Collaboration

Scale and legitimacy are pursued through competent partners.

Innovation

New approaches are tested responsibly and scaled only when evidence supports them.

Responsibility to Future Generations

Endowment, environmental and institutional decisions are assessed over long horizons.

Strategic positioning

Positioned, from inception, as an institution.

Informed by a benchmarking review of leading global foundations, five principles anchor the Foundation’s positioning.

Permanence

Built to operate in perpetuity, with capital and institutions that outlast any single decision-maker or generation.

Structured business linkage

The Foundation may hold minority, non-voting interests in Group companies and deploy the resulting dividends to finance its mission.

Professional governance

Family legacy is institutionalized through formal boards, committees, policies and reporting.

Measurable impact

Impact is evidenced and reported, not merely announced — a results-based framework from the outset.

Platform for shared philanthropy

Designed to steward contributions from Group companies, the diaspora, corporates, individuals and partners under one transparent model.

Governance & leadership

Credibility, by design.

The Foundation institutionalizes the family’s legacy through a layered governance architecture that separates strategic guardianship, oversight, execution, specialist advice and control — aligned with the standards of leading international institutions.

Operationalized through a core policy framework: Code of Ethics, Conflict-of-Interest, Grant-making, Investment & Endowment, Procurement, Safeguarding & Data-Protection, and AML & Donor Due-Diligence policies.

Founder Council

Long-term strategic guidance and protection of mission, identity and core values across generations.

Board of Trustees

Governance, oversight and stewardship of assets — family representatives, independent experts, philanthropy and business leaders, and academics.

Executive Management

Day-to-day leadership and delivery, led by a CEO supported by professional management teams.

Committees

Investment; Audit, Risk & Compliance; Grants & Programs; Ethics & Values; Governance & Nominations.

Advisory Councils

Specialist advice across education, health, research, sustainability, humanitarian affairs and investments.

Leadership · to be announced

Portrait

To be appointed

Founder Council

Portrait

To be appointed

Chair, Board of Trustees

Portrait

To be appointed

Chief Executive Officer

Portrait

To be appointed

Independent Trustees